


champion of my heart

by LuciferCaelestis



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Harry Potter Setting, Canon-Typical Violence, Gryffindor Keith (Voltron), Hufflepuff Shiro (Voltron), M/M, POV Keith (Voltron), Pining Keith (Voltron), Sheith Secret Santa 2018, Slow Burn, With A Twist
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-21
Updated: 2019-01-21
Packaged: 2019-10-13 14:34:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 15,411
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17489816
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LuciferCaelestis/pseuds/LuciferCaelestis
Summary: The course of true love never did run smooth...Especially when you're unwillingly signed up for the Triwizard Tournament, forced to compete in several deadly tasks and your main competition is the guy you're in love with.Keith's life is hard.





	champion of my heart

**Author's Note:**

  * For [alisayamin (sh_04e)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sh_04e/gifts).



> this is for [AlisaYamin](http://alisayamin.tumblr.com) for the Sheith Secret Santa 2018 
> 
> i'm so sorry it took so long, but i felt very committed to this vision and it's finally done!!! i really hope you like it!!!

They’d lost.

 

Keith knew that he’d done his best but it still rankled.

 

His decision to catch the Snitch had prevented an utterly humiliating loss for the team, but he’d had little faith that they would have been able to turn the match in their favour. The opposing team’s Chasers were too good, and it was only a matter of time before the other seeker spotted the Snitch. At least this way, they lost honorably to a worthy opponent.

 

He shook off both congratulations and condolences from people after the game, wanting to be left alone. It was his fault they hadn’t won. If only he could have been better somehow, maybe they wouldn’t have lost the World Cup.

 

Ten points had made the difference between victory and loss.

 

It was a bittersweet feeling to have gotten so far and still fail at the very last moment.

 

He passed by fans clad in green and red, drawing his hood up and lowering his gaze so no one would recognize him. Some were drinking in celebration, others to drown their sorrows. In the distance, he could make out some heated shouting and took a path that led him further away.

 

Once he found an empty field, he slipped his hand into his pocket and brought out the snitch.

 

As the one to catch it, technically he'd been allowed to keep it, even if common courtesy dictated otherwise. So he should have returned it, but it wasn't like anyone would come asking for it now. 

 

He released it into the air, where it was content to buzz around at a slower pace as he followed along.

 

His broom had been taken from him earlier but the sight of the stars calmed him more than anything else could have, even if he longed to be closer. It was a habit he’d formed when he was younger and later maintained with Shiro, to seek solace in the night sky whenever he needed it. Now, it just reminded him of Shiro.

 

He was interrupted from his thoughts by the sound of wings flapping. He recognised the sight of Shiro’s distinctive eagle-owl right away, and soon enough, she dropped the letter into his hand and landed on his offered arm easily, claws digging into his gloves.

 

Adjusting the letter in his hand, he carefully reached out a hand to her, waiting for her permission before stroking her feathers in appreciation. She leaned into his touch, barely, regal as ever.

 

“Sorry, Black. I don’t have any treats for you this time.” She huffed, before flying off his arm to land on his shoulder instead. He winced at the sudden weight, guessing that she didn’t want to leave yet, before turning to the letter she’d brought him.

 

The sight of it made something warm rise in his chest.

 

Another letter from Shiro..

 

He flipped it open eagerly, eyes lighting up as he read the message.

 

_ Dear Keith, _

 

_ Congrats on catching the Snitch! Your Wronski Feint was really something.  I think my heart almost jumped out my throat when I saw you dive like that. Then again, I was the one who taught you, so it’s really probably my own fault! _

 

_ Wish I could fly  _ _ with _ _ against you someday. Don’t worry about losing the Finals, I’m sure you’ll do better in the next one. I’ll be there to cheer you on either way ;) _

 

_ Love, _

 

_ Shiro _

 

Shiro’s handwriting was messier than usual, but he treasured the message all the same. Also accompanying it was a picture of Shiro in the stands decked out in Bulgarian team colours, smiling like he’d won the Quidditch World Cup.

 

For some reason, seeing Shiro wearing his team colours,  _ his colours _ , filled him with an odd sense of pride. And Shiro’s words soothed the stinging ache of loss after their performance this game.

 

Sure, it hurt to have all his effort wasted at the very end, but there would be other World Cups. Shiro’s assurance that he would make it to the next one instilled some confidence in him. And as long as Shiro would be there, he didn’t care how long it would take.

 

Picking up the quill and parchment that Shiro had thoughtfully provided, he wrote back, 

 

_ Thanks. I never thought I’d get this far, but I did, thanks to you. We didn’t win this World Cup, but you better believe we’re winning the next one. You’ll be there, won’t you? _

 

Keith paused for a moment. He couldn’t imagine how it would feel if Shiro decided not to come. Shiro was like his lucky charm; a touchstone and anchor to him. Forget winning, he’d probably be too upset to play at all.

He continued writing, daring for once to pen one of his greatest wishes… To fly with Shiro again.

 

_ We’ll fly together one day. I look forward to it. _

 

He couldn’t find the words to describe how much Shiro’s support meant to him. Hopefully, Shiro would understand what he meant.

 

He always did.

 

The flash of gold as the snitch reappeared in his vision should have reminded him of his failure but all he could think of was Shiro’s brilliant smile as he cheered Keith on, and when he caught the snitch for the second time that day, it felt like victory.

 

*****

 

No matter how happy he was to fly every day, he had to admit that he was glad to be back at school. He hadn’t been very happy to transfer here at the beginning but Durmstrang had grown on him. It still didn't compare to Hogwarts, but few places ever would in his opinion.

 

Still, he’d found family here at Durmstrang, been reunited with his mother, found out more about himself and his heritage.

 

His eyes roamed the hall, before they settled on Thace, looking serious as always.

 

Thace raised an eyebrow at him questioningly, and Keith only shrugged in reply. A short nod in return told him that Thace understood what he meant.

 

From across the table, Lotor caught his eye and Keith braced himself, for a snide remark, a jinx even. Instead, Lotor simply offered a smirk and a nod, before turning back to his conversation with Acxa.

 

Keith nodded back, still somewhat stunned that they were now on civil terms. In the beginning, there had been a rivalry that was, intense to say the least. 

 

The headmaster chose that moment to begin his speech and the hall went silent.. It was the same old speech he gave every year, so Keith tuned most of it out, but then he perked up at the mention of the Triwizard Tournament.

 

“Sadly, the Tournament will not be hosted at our esteemed institute.” Boos echoed around the hall. “A pity, I know. Our rivals from Hogwarts will have that honor instead. As their guests, we should do our best to remind them of the standards we hold here at Durmstrang.”

 

The students cheered in agreement and everyone broke into excited whispers, discussing the announcement.

 

Meanwhile, there was only one thing on Keith’s mind.

 

They would be going to Hogwarts.

 

Where  _ Shiro _ was.

 

He’d just been musing on how much he missed Hogwarts and Shiro. he’d be a fool to not take the opportunity now that it was within reach.

 

He made careful note of the restrictions they were implementing this year for safety reasons. He’d heard something about the tournament being cancelled before due to the high risk and deaths of the champions. Apparently, only the best and brightest would be allowed to join the delegation, and subsequently apply for the Tournament. The most worthy, the Champion, would be chosen by an impartial judge.

 

He wasn’t sure if he wanted to be chosen as Champion, or even if he would be chosen should he apply, but he desperately wanted to be a part of the delegation now. It would be an opportunity to see Shiro again, to stay at the place that had been his first home.

 

He wanted it.

 

Luckily he was pretty sure he’d be selected to be a part of the delegation, so he just had to wait for the weeks to pass by before they went to Hogwarts.

 

He wished October would arrive already.

 

*****

 

Somehow the journey to Hogwarts both took even longer than he expected and happened too quickly for his liking.

 

He had stopped asking how long before they arrived after Zarkon, and a few others, had told him to stop, so he was now reduced to glancing outside or at his watch. Everyone who had attempted a conversation with him had given up already due to his half-hearted responses.

 

Acxa, his current seatmate, didn’t say anything about his obvious distraction, content to sit in silence with him.

 

Keith’s heart was almost pounding by the time they arrived, worse than any Quidditch match. He took several calm, steadying breaths; it was just Shiro, what was he so worried about?

 

But it had been a while. What if meeting face to face led to Shiro realising that he didn't want to be friends with Keith anymore? They'd kept up with each other via correspondence but now they'd be spending an entire school year together. He didn't want things between him and Shiro to change.

 

He peered out the porthole as the ship emerged completely from the depths of the lake. 

 

There was something special about Hogwarts, something just  _ magical _ . He’d felt that way the first time he’d seen it as a tiny first-year, awed by the magical sight of the castle at night, and he felt the same way now. Hogwarts had been his first home. It was the first place where he’d thought he’d belong, after so long. 

 

It was where he’d met Shiro.

 

He didn’t know how his schoolmates felt about their first look at the school, but he felt an inexplicable sense of welcome.

 

He was home.

 

He was jolted from his thoughts as Zarkon started barking out orders for them to get into formation. Keith straightened up, going over the steps in his head. 

 

Several breathless moments later, followed by thunderous applause from the crowd, he had to hand it to the headmaster... the man knew how to arrange an entrance all right.

 

Eyes combing through the sea of black-clad Hogwarts students, his heart skipped a beat when he finally spotted Shiro, standing tall at the end of the Hufflepuff table.

 

He looked just as handsome as ever, his smile just like Keith remembered it, and that, more than the sight of Hogwarts around him, reminded him that he was home.

 

Keith noticed that the Beauxbatons delegation was already seated at the Ravenclaw table, and frowned when his own delegation was ushered to the Slytherin table.

 

It reminded him that he wasn’t at Hogwarts as a returning student, but as a guest from a different school. He felt out of place in the midst of Slytherin green, the red of Durmstrang’s uniform a poor replacement for his former Gryffindor colours.

 

The Hufflepuff table was also further from them, being closer to the Gryffindor side, and he was disappointed to find that he could not get a clear view of Shiro from his seat.

 

He shifted in embarrassment when he realized that the headmaster was already halfway through his speech and he hadn’t heard a thing.

 

“–the Goblet of Fire.”

 

Keith looked on with trepidation as the so-called impartial judge for the tournament was brought into the room, suddenly lighting up with blazing blue flames.

 

The hall was filled with oohs and aahs, students clamoring to get a better view of it.

 

Iverson bore it for a few seconds before raising his hands for order. The hall obligingly fell silent, and he took his seat.

 

With the headmaster seated, they were quick to begin their meal. Keith ate quietly, watching as his fellow classmates began conversations with some of the Slytherins.

 

Once it was over, while their headmaster ushered them back to the boats where their temporary living quarters were, Keith hung back, hoping to see Shiro.

 

He was forced to concede defeat when he couldn’t find Shiro.

 

He went back to his temporary rooms with a heavy heart, absently acknowledging Lotor’s greeting.

 

What if Shiro knew he was here, but simply didn’t want to see him?

 

Sleep would not be coming easy tonight.

 

*****

 

Keith slipped into the Great Hall for breakfast early the next morning, getting there with not so much as a single wrong turn.

 

It wasn’t long before the hall began to fill with students eager for their breakfast. Keith watched as people he recognized talked to their friends and ate. The usual daily routine that he remembered was only interrupted by older students walking up to the Goblet to submit their names.

 

He had a front row seat to the entire show, and watched as people walked by him to enter their names. The first to do so was Lotor, who didn’t look nervous at all, nonchalantly  putting the slip in. He turned to Keith with a challenging smile.

 

_ You aren’t going to do the same?  _ His expression seemed to say.

 

More people followed in his example, Hogwarts, Beauxbatons and Durmstrang students alike.

 

It was easy to recognize when a younger student tried to trick the Goblet into accepting their name. Their entry slip exploded from the Goblet, their features rapidly aging in moments. Keith hid his mouth behind his hand, pushing down a fit of laughter.

 

When several students still hadn’t learnt that the Goblet couldn’t be fooled and persisted in putting their names anyway, Keith didn’t hold back his laughter this time.

 

He was still chuckling when a tall student ( _ Shiro _ ) came to help them up, rebuking them calmly before helping them up with a smile and no doubt directing them to the Hospital Wing to be cured.

 

His laughter died as Shiro stepped closer, a confident look on his face as he surveyed the Goblet before dropping a slip of paper with his name on it.

 

It was burning, like Keith’s insides probably were at the too-close (too-far) distance between them.

 

Shiro looked satisfied and stepped away from the Goblet, and Keith was seconds away from catching his eye and finally talking to him when a silver-haired Beauxbatons student tapped Shiro’s shoulder, silently asking him to move so she could put her name in the Goblet. 

 

Shiro retreated easily, just barely missing Keith’s eyes as he did so, and he walked off,  joined by another friend of his.

 

_ Look back _ , Keith begged internally.

 

But Shiro didn’t.

 

*****

 

Before dinner that night, Keith felt a vague sense of foreboding.

 

He tried to shake it off during the meal, clapping politely at the headmaster’s speech before straightening up when it was time to announce the champions.

 

“The Champion for Durmstrang is… Lotor Daibazaal!”

 

No surprise there. He wished Lotor the best of luck, honestly. Who knew what kind of challenges they had waiting?

 

Lotor smirked, as if he had expected this,  before leaving the room.

 

“The Champion for Beauxbatons is… Allura Altea!” 

 

The silver-haired girl he saw yesterday stood up from the Ravenclaw table to the applause of her classmates.

 

“The Champion for Hogwarts is… Takashi Shirogane!”

 

Shiro stood up, smiling.

 

Keith clapped, feeling proud of Shiro. Fear rose in his chest at the thought of the challenges waiting ahead for Shiro, but he pushed it down. Who else would be more deserving of this? 

 

The headmaster smiled and raised his arms to end the speech when another slip of parchment exploded from the Goblet into his hand.

 

There was a vicious scowl on his face and the feeling Keith had been ignoring so far increased tenfold.

 

“Keith Kogane,” Iverson announced grudgingly.

 

What?

 

“Keith Kogane,” he repeated grimly.

 

What was going on?

 

Acxa was the one to push at him, and Keith stood up shakily, walking to the room the other Champions had been directed to on autopilot.

 

A hush fell upon the room when he entered. Everyone looked at him like they were wondering why he was there. As far as he was concerned, he was right there with them in their confusion. 

 

Before anyone could ask, Headmaster Iverson swept into the room, a grim look on his face.

 

“It appears that something has gone wrong with the choosing of Champions,” was the only thing he offered to the room at large before he turned to Keith.

 

“Kogane,” Iverson asked, disgust clear in his voice, “did you put your name in the Goblet of Fire with intention to cheat and enter as a fourth Triwizard Champion?”

 

“No!” Keith protested, finally shaken out of his daze. “I didn’t even put my name in.”

 

“Then why,” Iverson said slowly, “did the Goblet of Fire return your name as Champion… for  _ Hogwarts _ ?”

 

“What?” he replied. The shock of the last sentence had him dumbfounded. He’d honestly had no intention of entering the tournament, let alone as a champion for Hogwarts.

 

“Kogane, I’ve had enough of your brand of mischief. Tell us what you did to the Goblet or suffer the consequences.” The look Iverson levelled at him was fresh from his early Hogwarts years. It screamed ‘do not try me’.

 

“I didn’t do anything!” Keith protested again, frustrated. Iverson was clearly not happy to be seeing him again, especially under these circumstances, but he had nothing to do with whatever was going wrong.

 

“Perhaps,” Headmaster Alfor of Beauxbatons suggested delicately, “it was not your student– former student– who cheated, but someone else who entered his name, maybe as a joke? The Goblet determines the worthy, but its magics are still much of a mystery to us.”

 

“It is powerful magic to have hoodwinked the goblet so,” Headmaster Zarkon offered gruffly. “It is unlikely that the boy could have done it.”

 

Keith looked away from the discussion between the teachers and officials the Champions. Lotor was looking at him with a challenge in his eyes, while Allura seemed to be analyzing him like she had him pinned under a microscope. Shiro, however, was looking at him with surprise.

 

_ Champion for Hogwarts _ , Iverson had said.

 

Keith felt a surge of worry in his gut. What was going to happen now? Did Shiro think he was trying to take his place somehow?

 

The ministry official who had been introduced earlier as Coran, one of the tournament organizers, cleared his throat. “There appears to have been a mistake in the drawing of Champions. There are now  _ four _ Triwizard Champions. It is unusual, but the rules of the tournament are clear. All of you, even the extra wizard, will have to compete.”

 

“But I didn’t enter my name!” Keith protested again, but he felt resignation creeping into his mind. He knew protesting or raging at the unfairness of the world wouldn’t help at all. No one was going to help him.

 

“It matters not. The rules are clear, you were chosen, you have to compete. It is a binding agreement.”

 

Iverson didn’t look very happy about that. Neither did headmaster Zarkon.

 

The ministry official continued, “The first task will be held on the 24th of November. It will test your courage in the face of the unknown, and you will be allowed nothing more than your wands for this challenge. Good luck, champions!”

 

The champions nodded, Keith following along numbly.

 

The Beauxbatons champion shot him one last look before leaving the room with her headmaster.

 

Keith automatically turned when he heard Zarkon shifting; his headmaster was sure to be angry enough, without him adding to it by disobeying.

 

“I would have liked two Durmstrang Champions, but that is not how the current situation is,” Zarkon said, scowling. “As of now, you are considered a Champion for Hogwarts, and should you win, your victory will reflect that. You will be given a separate room from Lotor to reflect both your status as Champions of different schools. Likely for your own safety as well.”

 

Keith paled when he realized his classmates would find out he was a Hogwarts Champion soon, and that he would probably need his own room to avoid being cursed in his sleep.

 

“Come, Lotor,” Zarkon beckoned, before turning to Keith with a sneer. “Kogane, you will stay to discuss your  _ unique _ status.”

 

The rest of the people in the room had already left, leaving only Iverson and Shiro behind. 

 

Iverson just looked at him before rubbing at his forehead tiredly. “Just go, Kogane. Do what you will.”

 

Keith left the room quickly before Iverson tried punishing him for still being there when he looked up. He stopped at the end of the corridor, needing a moment, but Shiro didn’t walk past him to go to his common room.

 

“Keith,” Shiro said happily. “It’s so good to see you.”

 

He’d spent so long worrying and still he wasn’t prepared to hear Shiro say that.

 

“Shiro. This wasn’t how I expected to meet you again.”

 

“I don’t think anyone expected this. Are you alright?”

 

“I’m fine. I didn’t put my name in the cup, you know that right? You believe me?” Keith asked desperately.

 

Even if he’d wanted to, he wouldn’t have entered as the Hogwarts champion, leading people to doubt the veracity of Shiro’s claim on the title. He wouldn’t have done that to Shiro.

 

He had to make sure that Shiro knew that.

 

“Keith, it’s alright. I believe you,” Shiro said, interrupting his thoughts. “I know you wouldn’t mess around with the Goblet.”

 

Keith felt a rush of relief. 

 

“Now, why didn’t you tell me you were coming here this year? I would’ve wanted to know.”

 

“I wanted to surprise you,” Keith answered weakly.

 

“Consider me well and truly surprised then,” Shiro joked before laughing. Keith laughed with him, relieved that Shiro wasn’t holding it against him.

 

Shiro looked down the corridor, seeming to remember that he had places to be. “I have to get going now but I can’t wait to see you tomorrow.” A hand clapped down on Keith’s shoulder, and Shiro’s eyes met Keith’s. “It’s good to have you back, Keith.”

 

“It’s good to be back.”

 

And no matter what had happened, or what was waiting for him in the future– deadly tasks, scorned classmates or even the risk of certain death –he felt he truly meant it.

 

*****

 

It didn’t take long for his classmates to turn against him after the revelation. They rallied around Lotor, calling him the  _ true _ Durmstrang Champion. Most of them believed that Keith had cheated and evidently cared nothing for school loyalty.

 

Several people had already tried to curse him, and as he walked, he could hear people whispering about him. When he looked at them, they were quick to turn their backs on him, treating him like he was invisible.

 

In fact, since the announcement, not one of his schoolmates had spoken a word to him.

 

Their actions stung, but honestly, their reactions only sparked a desire in him to win and prove them all wrong.

 

It wasn’t surprising that Keith found himself at the edge of the Slytherin table during breakfast, alone and friendless. It felt like his first days at Durmstrang all over again.

 

“Keith!” 

 

He turned automatically when he heard his name being called, a smile appearing on his face when he saw that it was Shiro.

 

“Come join me and my friends,” Shiro invited, and before Keith could reject it, his body was already following Shiro back to the Hufflepuff table.

 

Keith was introduced to Shiro’s tablemates, who looked at him curiously but didn’t push for anything. A Ravenclaw friend of Shiro’s came over to join them, sitting next to Shiro. Matt, if he remembered correctly.

 

Matt was quick to reintroduce himself, smirking as he said, “Nice to see you again, Keith. Sometimes it felt like you  _ never left _ .” He emphasized those words, glancing at Shiro the entire time before finally turning back to Keith.

 

“Thanks, I guess,” Keith replied, feeling like he was missing something but not knowing what.

 

Next to Matt, a girl in Slytherin robes that looked exactly how Keith remembered Matt as a fourth year introduced herself as Pidge (“Katie,” Matt interjected), Matt’s sister.

 

“I’m Hunk,” the Hufflepuff next to Pidge introduced. “You might not remember me but we were in the same year together when you were still at Hogwarts.”

 

“He probably remembers me, I was his rival!” the Gryffindor leaning against Hunk exclaimed. 

 

Keith did not remember him at all, and told him as much. 

 

“The name’s Lance. You know, like Lance-and-Keith, neck-and-neck? We were rivals!”

 

Keith shrugged, much to Lance’s offence, before turning back to Shiro.

 

He heard a huff in the background, clearly from Lance, and almost started laughing.

 

With Shiro seated right beside him, easily including him in his conversations and Lance grumbling off to the side while Hunk and the Holts laughed in the background, he felt a sense of belonging. 

 

*****

 

The days passed and Keith found himself drawn in to Shiro’s group of friends. The best part was definitely Shiro, but somehow he’d ended up finding things in common with the others as well, like they were becoming friends for real.

 

Matt was much the same, still as much of a genius and troublemaker, but he was unexpectedly a great listener too. Before, they’d only really talked to each other because of Shiro, but Keith genuinely liked Matt and he was surprised to hear that Matt thought the same way about him.

 

Pidge’s mad genius and creativity kept him occupied as he argued with her about spell theory in between lessons, while Hunk’s dry wit made him smile and laugh in class at the worst times. Lance tried to pick fights with him, but his undeniable vigour fostered a sense of friendly competition between them, almost but not quite what he had with Lotor.

 

He hadn’t expected to pick up his friendship with Shiro right where they left off, but Shiro hadn’t changed. He was still every bit of him the kind and caring friend Keith remembered.

 

Sometimes, he found himself forgetting that he wasn’t a Hogwarts student, that he wasn’t one of them, but a glimpse of his uniform and how his schoolmates still avoided him in the corridors reminded him every time.

 

Still, it was worth it.

 

But his new friendships and preoccupations had distracted him, until he realized there was only a week left before the First Task.

 

He was flying around the castle grounds by himself one night in an effort to leave his worries behind when he noticed two figures walking out of the ship, towards the Forbidden Forest.

 

Curiosity rearing its ugly head, he followed behind from his broom slowly, almost cursing when he realized who they were: Zarkon and Lotor. Still, he’d come too far to back out.

 

They walked around the perimeter of the forest, almost out of view of the lake when Keith began hearing noises. There were people shouting, and once, he heard a roar in the distance.

 

As Zarkon and Lotor both came to a stop, Keith hurriedly stopped too, and when he looked up, he realized why they’d suddenly stopped walking.

 

Dragons.

 

Before them were four, fully grown, enormous,  _ deadly dragons. _

 

They were all restrained in an enclosure, surrounded by dozens of dragon-keepers trying to wrangle them into submission.

 

Their yells were incomprehensible but the few words he managed to catch chilled his blood.

 

_ “Nesting– eggs– Fight– Not working.” _

 

Keith felt numb when he realized what it meant.

 

The first task was  _ dragons. _

 

Terrifying thoughts flashed through his mind the entire way back and when he got back to his room, he could only think: What was he going to do?

 

*****

 

The next morning, as he watched Lotor eat his breakfast, confident smile not reaching his eyes, he realized that they had never planned on telling Keith. Cheating was apparently a time honoured part of the Triwizard Tournament, but he wasn’t representing Durmstrang. He was representing Hogwarts. And he doubted that Iverson would stoop to cheating, so Shiro wouldn’t know either.

 

He left his breakfast right there, searching Shiro out and found him in the middle of the Hufflepuff table as usual. When Shiro caught Keith watching him, he waved Keith over with a smile.

 

His stomach felt weighed down by lead as he approached, the rest of the gang already in their usual spots. He slipped into his usual seat next to Shiro, and before Shiro could get a word in, he looked at Shiro and said, “Dragons. The first task is dragons.”

 

“Dragons? Are you sure?” Shiro asked, face paling.

 

“Yeah. Four dragons, one for each of us.”

 

“Dragons?” Matt exclaimed, horrified. “You guys are screwed.”

 

“How do you even know this?” Lance asked suspiciously.

 

“It doesn’t matter. What matters now is that we have to find a way to survive nesting mother dragons.”

 

Shiro looked nervous before his face hardened with determination.

 

“Alright. Let’s get to it, team!”

 

They ended up camping out at the library for the next week, only leaving for classes, meals and to sleep. 

 

A few days into their research, he spotted Allura, the Beauxbatons champion, hiding out in the library and likely preparing for the task as well,  he realized that she might not know about the dragons. With Lotor, Shiro and him already knowing, it would be incredibly unfair if she didn’t.

 

Keith approached her to tell her that dragons were the first task, and she was rightly horrified. He didn’t know what possessed him to invite her to join their group, but she made a fine addition and soon it was like she’d always been a part of them.

 

As they studied, they found out that there weren’t many shields that could hold up against a dragon, dragon fire was notorious for burning right through them. Luckily, Shiro’s approach depended on him not needing one.

 

Shiro was going to use his skill at Transfiguration to distract the creature, while Allura was going for an incredibly complex trance enchantment to put the dragon to sleep. But Transfiguration had never been his strong suit, and neither was Charms.

 

The answer to Keith’s dragon problem didn’t occur to him until the night before the first task.

 

Close to midnight, he still didn’t have a plan but he was longing to just take his broom and fly, looking for some peace after all the stress of the past week. Daydreams of flight entered his mind and his attention to the book he’d been studying wavered, when he realized that flying could be his answer.

 

They wouldn’t be allowed anything but their wands, but a summoning charm was a simple fourth-year spell, easy enough to do, and his confidence had never been greater than when he was on his broom, taking to the skies.

 

He fell asleep with a sense of relief, that at least he had a semblance of a plan.

 

*****

 

Morning came without mercy, and there was a bad feeling in his gut about the coming task.

 

Keith ate with the group at the Hufflepuff table as had become tradition, and endured their well wishes with a small smile. His nerves made an appearance and he had to force down the last half of his breakfast, prompted by Shiro who wasn’t taking his own advice, ignoring his own plate.

 

His resulting bargain that for every piece he ate, Shiro would a piece of his own breakfast had the rest of them laughing, breaking some of the tension. 

 

They split apart from the team afterwards. Him, Shiro and Allura trekked towards the edge of the Forbidden Forest, which looked just as menacing in the cold light of day as it had the night he’d first seen the dragons. 

 

The sound of roaring coming from ahead of them made it hard to ignore the reality of the situation: soon, all of them would have to face down a dragon with nothing but their wands and their wits to help them.

 

Stands had been built around the enclosure for the audience to watch, but they were led into a tent separate from the enclosure and stands.

 

Lotor was already inside, and he didn’t look nearly as composed as usual, his confident smirk gone. They all took their places beside Lotor, Keith opting to stand next to Shiro with Allura standing between them and Lotor, and waited for the briefing to begin.

 

Coran, the ministry official in charge of the Tournament, explained the rules to them and finally told them their task: to collect the golden egg. He showed them a small silk bag, stating that they would collect a model of what they were facing from it as well as the order in which they were facing it.

 

It was better than what he’d been expecting, he didn’t know what he would do if they actually had to take down the dragons.

 

A sense of unfairness hit him, and he had to force it away. He hadn’t chosen to be part of the tournament, to put his life on the line for a performance. But then, there was nothing to be done about it now. He was a part of it, and he would win it, to prove them all wrong about him.

 

He could hear people passing by the tent, the sounds of thousands of people gathering together actually soothing some of his nerves. It was familiar, and right now, he was holding onto any familiarity he could get.

 

Coran held out the sack and offered it to Allura first with a gallant bow. “Ladies first.”

 

Her face a strong mask of determination, she reached into the bag and took out a tiny model of a dragon. It had beautiful shimmering scales, and a number ‘two’ around its neck. 

 

“An Antipodean Opaleye,” Coran announced.

 

She took a deep breath and passed the bag to Lotor.

 

Lotor’s dragon was copper-coloured and bared its dangerous looking fangs at him, the number ‘three’ hanging around its neck swaying from the force. It was a Peruvian Vipertooth, according to Coran, which sounded positively deadly. How nice to see that they were going all out on the dragons.

 

Lotor looked like he wanted to bare his own fangs at the little model but then it settled completely. He handed the bag over to Shiro, who carefully withdrew his own model dragon, a vicious looking one that was black with sharp ridges and rough scales. Coran announced it to be a Hebridean Black, and the number ‘one’ around its neck glinted as it scarpered up Shiro’s arm to settle on his shoulder and curling up there.

 

Keith felt a pang of jealousy for the dragon’s current position before he realized how ridiculous he was being and accepted the silken sack Shiro was offering to him.

 

Carefully, he withdrew a snarling dragon, black with spikes all over and a dangerous look in its eyes. The number ‘four’ was draped over the Hungarian Horntail’s neck, mocking him.

 

Coran directed Shiro to the opening to the tent, telling him that his turn would start at the sound of the whistle and wishing him good luck before he left to begin commentating.

 

Keith and Shiro exchanged quick looks, and he only had enough time to shout out a quick “Good Luck!” before he heard the whistle and Shiro walked out of the tent.

 

Keith waited anxiously as Shiro faced the dragon, listening for the roar of the crowd, hoping it would give him a hint as to what was going on. The crowd screamed, and yelled, and gasped, as Shiro proceeded with his plan to get past the dragon and Coran’s commentary made it so much worse. 

 

Every “So close!” and “It almost had him then!” from Coran had his heart jumping up his throat.

 

Keith could almost imagine it happening, his hand grasping his wand tightly as he waited.

 

But then, he heard a deafening roar, and the crowd screaming. He had no idea what was happening, only hoping that Shiro was alright. The sudden silence of the crowd had never been more hateful to him.

 

He stood up straight when the healers bustled into the tent, watching in horror as Shiro was levitated in, covered in blood. He looked dead, and Keith had to hang on to the railing to stay standing.

 

Keith wanted nothing more than to be by Shiro’s side, helping him but he would be of no use there. He barely noticed when Allura walked out the tent, minutes passing by in a blur, then Lotor following, just watching as the healers did their magic. 

 

He was there when they gave up hope on his right arm, and when they finally healed the superficial injuries Shiro had gotten, having deemed them less important than stabilizing him.

 

The whistle blew again, and with a jerk, he realized that the other champions were all done and it was his turn next. He turned back to look at Shiro, finally resting peacefully, his arm now a stump, and wished for nothing as much as he did that he wouldn’t have to leave Shiro’s side right then.

 

But he had no choice in the matter. So he’d finish his task as fast as he could and get right back to Shiro.

 

Heart full of determination, he walked out to the enclosure.

 

Facing the dragon he’d seen in miniature just an hour ago, he felt no trace of his earlier fear.

 

Holding his wand out, he shouted, “Accio Firebolt.”

 

They wanted a performance so badly, he would give them one.

 

The volume of the crowd dulled to a murmur as his focus intensified and his Firebolt came rushing towards him.

 

Keith mounted his broom easily and kicked off, and once he was in the air… everything just faded away.

 

Here he was the master, he was where he belonged, and he would show this dragon just why he’d been appointed the youngest National Seeker in the world.

 

It was just like a game of Quidditch, with the stakes being that much higher.

 

He looked around the enclosure, barely able to see the clutch of eggs with his target. The bright gold egg glinted in the sun, catching his attention just as sure as the Snitch.

 

Target spotted, he turned back to the dragon. The Horntail looked much more deadly up close, spiked tail wagging slowly behind it like a cat playing with its prey but still curled protectively around her eggs.

 

He dived, careful to avoid the jagged spikes on its face and it followed him, just like he wanted. He ducked down just in time to avoid the stream of fire, the heat scorching even a few feet away.

 

He soared back up, ducking the next stream of fire, but this time he was less lucky, unable to avoid the spiked tail from grazing his right shoulder. 

 

His shoulder twinged but he ignored it, his focus entirely on the Horntail. 

 

She didn’t want to take off, but for his plan to work, he needed her to do it. Thinking fast, he started by flying too close to its deadly face, barely swerving away from the fire in time.

 

With her attention caught,  he flew this way and that, always just a little too far for her flames to reach him, hoping to draw her to him. He could see that it was working, she was slowly becoming more annoyed, wings flaring more as he flew higher and higher…

 

He pulled his broom down, getting steadily close to her face before hurtling back up through the sky, the stream of fire mere inches from his body.

 

After that, the dragon spreaded her wings completely, black and large and rough, and she finally started flying towards him. Flying around its neck, he turned and dived down, down, down, until the golden egg was in reach and swiped it away, swerving back up to soar right over the stands, his prize safely under his right arm.

 

The crowd went wild, and he could finally hear Coran’s commentating at the end: “Kogane truly proving his title as one of the best Seekers in the world even at such a young age, who could have expected that!”

 

He could see the dragon-keepers rushing towards the dragon to subdue it and felt an odd sense of pity. It had put up a good fight, after all.

 

He landed close to the tent, brushing off the reporters and teachers waiting outside and entered the tent, only having eyes for Shiro. He was awake now, looking exhausted but better than he’d been when Keith had left him. 

 

Before Keith could even say anything to him though, he was pulled aside by a healer and the few scrapes and injuries he’d gotten were healed.

 

Shiro gave him a tired smile when Keith was done grumbling to the healer and Keith only had time to squeeze Shiro’s hand once before he was called outside to receive his marks.

 

His friends gathered around him to congratulate him on his successful task and ask him about Shiro’s condition. He tried for a reassuring tone but judging but on their faces, he probably failed.

 

Before he could explain any more, the clamour around them died down a little and he turned around to see the judges raising their wands to release his score.

 

From headmaster Alfor of Beauxbatons, he got nine marks out of ten. From Iverson– and there was a real grudging look on his face there– he got another nine. From Zarkon, he got a shocking four out of ten, presumably for daring to do so well as another school’s champion. From the minister and Coran, he got eight and nine respectively. 

 

Thirty-nine marks overall. He was satisfied with that.

 

The Second Task would be taking place on the 24th of February, seeming so far away that Keith could only feel relief.

 

After they’d all congratulated him on his marks, Lance began to explain what had happened with the other champions. “Allura did amazingly,” he said, awe clear in his voice. “She managed to get the dragon in some kind of trance, and it got sleepy, but the dragon snored at the wrong moment and lit her skirt on fire. She managed to put it out well enough.”

 

Hunk continued, picking up where Lance had left off with a quick, “Lotor tried some curse, I think it was the Conjunctivitis curse?” 

 

“–And it got the dragon pretty good, but he got points taken off after the dragon accidentally trampled some of the eggs because of the pain,” Pidge interjected.

 

Matt took over and said, “Shiro’s was the one with the real trouble. At first, it was going pretty well. He Transfigured some rocks on the ground to look like dogs, trying to divert its attention from him, and it worked. At least, it did at first. When Shiro had already gotten the egg and was about to leave the nest, the dragon changed its mind.” 

 

Matt had a fierce scowl on his face now. 

 

“The keepers were too slow to restrain it and Shiro got burnt really badly. The task was already over, so it wasn’t Shiro’s fault he ended up caught up in that. But some of them,” he gestured to the panel of judges, “thought differently. So they marked him down too.”

 

“What happened to Shiro is completely unfair,” Keith protested. “It wasn’t his fault. Does he still have to compete?”

 

“Yeah. It’s totally unfair, but try telling that to the judges.”

 

“So now you’re in the lead, followed by Allura, and Lotor and Shiro are tied for last,” Lance said, jumping in.

 

Victory had never felt more bitter.

 

*****

 

Shiro’s recovery took a while, and Keith found excuses to see him at the Hospital Wing every day, keeping him company and bringing him food.

 

He’d tried to contest what had been done to Shiro with the Ministry, but the officials were quick to remind him that death was an accepted consequence of the tournament, so there was no way Shiro could forfeit. Not without losing his magic.

 

The situation sucked, but Shiro himself was determined to stay positive and keep working.

 

Magic had limits, especially healing magic, so it couldn’t be used to regrow Shiro’s arm as it was before, but there were other alternatives that Shiro had been willing to try. One of them was an experimental procedure to give him a new magical arm that would work exactly like his old arm had.

 

Keith hadn’t been there for it, waiting outside anxiously, but the procedure for Shiro’s new magical arm had been a complete success to his relief. He’d come back to Shiro looking over his new arm. It shone like silver metal but acted like a regular arm.

 

According to Shiro, it would take some getting used to, but he was determined to move past the incident.

 

The rest of their friends visited a lot too, causing a ruckus most of the time and usually, they ended up kicked out of the hospital wing just to give Shiro and the rest of the occupants some peace.

 

But Shiro, being the way he was, couldn’t stand to stay still and recuperate after his injury, so two weeks after he’d been was hospitalized, he discharged himself in favour of going to classes again.

 

He came back just in time for the announcement of the Yule Ball, another Triwizard Tournament tradition.

 

It sent most of the school into a tizzy in the weeks leading up to the ball. Students were fretting about what they would wear, who they would go with. It was a very frustrating time for Keith, who just wanted to be left alone. Especially since he’d been told that as a Champion, he would have to open the ball. With a  _ date _ .

 

He led a very private life, playing Quidditch for a National team notwithstanding, and after the First Task, it seemed that everyone had realized that he was the reclusive Quidditch star after all. And with him being a Champion, combined with his status, was enough to get him more attention than he would ever want.

 

Keith had taken to hiding in the library with Shiro, studying and just talking most of the time. Shiro was a lot better at Transfiguration, and his explanations always made sense to Keith, and Keith repaid the favour with some tutoring on some more obscure curses that he’d learnt at Durmstrang. 

 

Unfortunately, some people were just too overzealous and he’d had to fend off too many different proposals to the Ball.

 

Usually he shared them with Shiro, and they laughed over some of his stories together, but one day, he was in the library, complaining about a recent proposal he’d gotten to Shiro when Shiro suggested that maybe they should go together.

 

It took several tries for Keith’s brain to start working again, and even then he could only manage a weak “What?”

 

Shiro repeated his offer. “It would be easiest for us both,” he said, scratching the back of his neck sheepishly.

 

Somehow, instead of the “No, thank you,” he’d been about to say, what came out was a “Yes.” 

 

Shiro smiled at him happily and Keith could only smile back at him, heart beating so fast he was surprised Shiro couldn’t hear it.

 

When Shiro left to find another book, Keith collapsed into his seat, screaming internally. Logically he knew it was just Shiro trying to help him out like he always did, but his heart knew no reason and could only keep thinking of it like a date.

 

Earlier, he’d been dismissive and mocking about students who were worried about their appearance and what the ball would be like but he felt a profound sense of sympathy now that he was going through the same thing.

 

*****

 

The days leading up to the ball passed by faster than Keith would like and soon it was Christmas, and later in the evening, the day of the Yule Ball. 

 

But for the first time, he had more than a handful of presents and his eyes lit up with every gift from his new friends.

 

Matt had worked with Pidge and built him a mini Hogwarts terrarium for his tiny dragon model to sleep in. He retrieved it from where it was sleeping on his pillow like the possessive lizard it was and dropped it in gently, where it flew up the mini Astronomy Tower and curled up on top of it.

 

Hunk had baked him his favourite chocolate chip cookies and a thick warm red scarf with moving golden lions on them. His Gryffindor pride was fully displayed and he laughed when he read Hunk’s note that he “would’ve made a good Hufflepuff too.”

 

Allura had gotten him a beautiful phoenix feather quill and he spent a few minutes just marvelling over the colours and texture before putting it aside carefully.

 

Lance had gone the sweets route, and it looked like he’d bought half the store, including a few sticks of Blood Pops, because he often liked to joke that Keith was a vampire in hiding.

 

The joke was on him though, because Keith quite liked Blood Pops and began sucking on one while opening his other gifts. 

 

His mother had sent him a handmade sheath for the blade she’d left him when he was younger, and his uncles had included a great book on Curses and Counter-curses as well as a long letter from all of them, complete with commentary as they all wrestled for the quill.

 

He replaced the sheath he was using now immediately and saved the letter for reading later tonight. 

 

He got a few other gifts as well from people he wasn’t really close to, like his team, mostly gift vouchers and Quidditch paraphernalia.

 

Once he’d put everything else away, he finally allowed himself to open Shiro’s gift, wrapped in shiny black and silver paper. He unwrapped it carefully and gasped when it revealed a beautiful telescope. Engraved on the side was his name in beautiful script, and the words ‘reach for the stars’.

 

It reminded him of nights spent with Shiro on the Astronomy Tower, sneaking out after curfew just to look at the stars together. Shiro was the only one who knew how much he loved them, as much as he loved flying, and he’d always supported Keith in that.

 

Shiro’s gift made him think of good days and best friends and a love that began with the stars.

 

Keith hugged it to his chest and wondered… What if?

 

The rest of the day went by normally. He met up with his friends and thanked them for their gifts, and they decided to spend the hours until the ball having a snowball fight.

 

After several victories and losses on both sides, they trooped back into the castle to get ready for the Ball.

 

The robes he’d chosen were a deep blue, almost black, with silver trimmings in a simple style. The only reason he’d bought them was because the salesperson said they brought out his eyes.

 

He didn’t care much either way, but there was a small hope in his heart that Shiro would like them.

 

As he walked into the castle, down to the Hufflepuff dorms near the kitchens, he admired the sight Hogwarts made on Christmas. This year, the decorations were even more amazing than he remembered, probably to impress their guests and rivals.

 

Fairy lights had been strung up all around, and the coats of armour practically gleamed as he passed by.

 

He’d agreed to meet Shiro outside the common room fifteen minutes before they’d need to be at the Great Hall, so he waited patiently, thoughts drifting.

 

The sound of someone stepping out had him focusing back on reality and he almost choked when he saw Shiro.

 

Shiro was wearing simple black robes, edged in gold, and he looked so good Keith forgot to control his mouth.

 

“You look amazing,” Keith said, breathless. 

 

Shiro’s answering smile was small but sincere, as he looked Keith over.

 

“K–Keith. You look great too.”

 

For some reason, Shiro looked slightly red, and it only increased when Keith stepped closer to check his temperature.

 

“Are you alright?” Keith asked worriedly. 

 

“I’m fine,” Shiro said, sounding normal again, if a little sad. “Are you ready to go?”

 

Keith nodded, offering his arm to Shiro thoughtlessly before tensing when Shiro’s arm was wrapped around his. He relaxed after a few seconds, but he could practically feel how bright the back of his neck had gotten when Shiro touched him.

 

Students were just milling around the entrance to the Great Hall waiting for eight o’clock, for the doors to be opened.

 

They were greeted by Headmaster Iverson at the doorway, who narrowed his eye when he saw them, but just sighed in resignation. They were soon joined by Allura, looking radiant and beautiful in a stunning blue dress with Lance on her arm, and Lotor with Acxa, looking great in matching deep purple robes.

 

The great oak doors opened and students headed inside, while the champions and their partners were made to wait outside until everyone else was seated.

 

Iverson arranged them all in a line, with Keith and Shiro at the very front, followed by Allura and Lance, and finally Lotor and Acxa.

 

Keith could practically hear Iverson muttering “–not traditional –champion –of course –Kogane and Shirogane –bad for my blood pressure” under his breath as he directed them all to walk in a procession into the Great Hall. They were met with applause as they walked towards a large round table at the top of the Hall, where the judges were already sitting.

 

The walls had all been covered in sparkling silver frost and garlands of mistletoe and ivy crossing the starry black ceiling. For once, the house tables were gone, leaving a hundred smaller tables for the students to sit at instead.

 

When the champions and their partners reached the table, they all took their seats next to the heads of their respective schools. There was no food yet on the plates, only small menus beside them. Then Iverson very begrudgingly picked up his and said clearly to his plate, “Pork chops!” 

 

And pork chops appeared on his plate. 

 

After that, the rest of the table seemed to have an idea how to order their food, and placed their orders. Soon, everyone began eating, or talking to the people sitting next to them.

 

Keith ate his meal slowly, delighting in Hogwarts’ food, delicious as it always was, and watched Shiro while he talked animatedly to Iverson about something. So absorbed he was in watching Shiro that he didn’t even realize that his plate was empty until he heard his fork clattering against it.

 

It was only a few more moments later when music started playing and the lanterns hovering over the tables dimmed that Keith realized what was coming. The other champions and their partners were standing up, and Shiro turned to Keith, offering him his hand.

 

Keith grasped it shakily, heart beating like a drum as Shiro led him to the brightly lit dance floor.

 

A slow, mournful tune was playing as Shiro bowed to him, before placing his hand on Keith’s waist, and the other magical one holding his tightly.

 

They spun slowly on the spot, Keith’s eyes on Shiro’s the entire time. Shiro’s expression was maddeningly soft, and more than once, Keith had to stop himself from reaching out to Shiro, to come even closer, that Shiro would  _ pull _ him closer. He lost sight of everyone else, barely even noticing when other people began to join them on the dance floor, forgetting everything that wasn’t Shiro.

 

They danced like that for so long Keith forgot how many dances they’d had.

 

When they finally stopped, Keith took a deep breath before stepping away, offering Shiro a slight smile.

 

“Want to take a walk?” He gestured vaguely around.

 

“Sure,” Shiro said, grabbing Keith’s hand and holding it as he led Keith out of the Great Hall to the rose garden outside, where they were surrounded by bushes, winding ornamental paths and large stone statues. There were a few people sitting on carved benches, and several more walking on the paths. 

 

They chose a random direction and set off, eventually ending up in an unoccupied space with a fountain bubbling away at the center.

 

Snow was still falling gently to the ground, but with Shiro walking beside him Keith didn’t feel cold at all.

 

“It really is beautiful out here,” Keith heard himself saying, looking around.

 

“It really is,” Shiro agreed, looking right back at him.

 

“I’m glad we can see the stars tonight,” he said, before he could do anything stupid like walking even closer to Shiro and kissing him.

 

“They’re very bright tonight,” Shiro said, stepping forward towards Keith.

 

Keith felt Shiro’s hand brushing against his cheek before moving up to his forehead, then stroking over his hair briefly.

 

He closed his eyes.

 

Moments later, he felt Shiro’s hand leaving his face and his eyes fluttered open.

 

“Snow,” Shiro answered helpfully, before stepping back. “It almost feels like old times, the stars are out and your hair is still messed up.”

 

“And who’s fault is that,” Keith retorted, the warmth from Shiro’s hand fading far too quickly. “All we’re missing is the Astronomy Tower and some made up constellations.”

 

“We could always just bail, and spend the night up there instead,” Shiro offered. “A few mugs of hot chocolate and marshmallows, the new telescope I got you, some blankets and we’d be all set.”

 

Keith lit up, remembering the telescope. “Thank you again. How did you know it was what I wanted?”

 

“Just a lucky guess.”

 

Keith was eager to leave, ready to reminisce with Shiro over old times, but he couldn't help but ask Shiro again, “Are you sure they’d be okay with us ditching just like that?”

 

Shiro shrugged. “They should know us by now. I don’t think they’ll be surprised.”

 

“Then let’s go. I can’t think of a better way to spend tonight than watching the stars with you like we used to.”

 

*****

 

Something changed between them after that night. He felt closer to Shiro. It was… good.

 

But with all the commotion of Shiro’s injury and later the distraction of the ball and later Shiro, Keith had forgotten all about the golden egg he’d received from the first task. Supposedly, it held a clue for the second one.

 

When he’d tried opening it the first time, it let out an unholy screech, and he couldn’t close it fast enough. After that, he’d been reluctant to even try to guess at the clue.

 

But time was passing quickly, and the date for the Second Task was fast approaching.

 

It all came to a head when Shiro came to talk to him in private one day, telling him to bring the egg with him to a bath, that it would help him figure out the task, before whispering the current password for the prefect’s bathroom and its location.

 

Trusting Shiro, he did exactly as Shiro advised later that night, sneaking into the prefect’s bathroom when he was sure there was no one there. He refused to feel even a little disappointed that Shiro wasn’t there, waiting for him. 

 

He took a warm bath, having fun with all the special functions of the bath but it didn’t get him any closer to solving the clue.

 

It only made sense to him when he opened it and accidentally dropped it into the bath when the screeching began and swam down to get it back, and for the first time, instead of screeching, he heard an eerie voice singing.

 

_ ‘Come seek us where our voices sound, _

_ We cannot sing above the ground, _

_ And while you’re searching, ponder this: _

_ We’ve taken what you’ll sorely miss, _

_ An hour long you’ll have to look, _

_ And to recover what we took, _

_ But past an hour – the prospect’s black _

_ Too late, it’s gone, it won’t come back.’ _

 

It took several tries before he had the song memorized, and a few more for him to understand what it was about.

 

They were going to take something precious to him and he would have to save it within an hour, lest he lose it forever.

 

He did not sleep well that night.

 

In the morning he went straight to Shiro and the rest of his friends and asked them what lived underwater in the lake, and told them about the clue. They debated various underwater creatures, tossing out more ridiculous suggestions as time went on, Matt jokingly suggesting the Giant Squid could be the voice he heard, before Hunk figured it out. 

 

Mermaids.

 

But with that came another realization. The merpeople surely lived close to the bottom of the lake and though he could swim, there was no way he could last all the way to the bottom of the lake and back. Oxygen was still a necessity after all.

 

So they set about researching ways to breathe underwater for long periods of time.

 

It was Pidge who came up with the solution, finding mention of a charm that would create a bubble of air around their heads.

 

The next week was dedicated to learning the charm and practicing offensive spells.

 

*****

 

When the day of the Second Task rolled by, he and Shiro were as prepared as they could be. He’d spent the entire night tossing and turning because he couldn’t stop thinking about what would be taken from him.

 

Keith woke up after he finally fell asleep a few hours before the task and cursed, realizing he only had fifteen minutes before the task would begin.

 

He ran all the way to the lake, the seats he remembered had surrounded the enclosure during the first task now stood by the bank.

 

Shiro was watching him with concern, he noticed, bent over and gasping for breath. The scar on his face was highlighted by the sun, making it look even more severe. Shiro reached out and offered him a hand up.

 

Keith took it, feeling the strength in Shiro’s hand and let himself be pulled upright.

 

Now that all the Champions were here, Coran hummed in approval before casting a Sonorus charm to make his voice louder. Keith only waited for the count down before pulling off his robes, socks and shoes. He casted the Bubblehead charm around his head and waded into the lake.

 

The cold water was like a shock to his skin, and the last vestiges of sleep immediately faded from his body.

 

After he’d walked far enough into the lake, he flung himself into the water and started swimming. He could feel the water all around him but the bubble he’d created allowed him to breathe perfectly fine. It was still dark and murky inside the water but he could see well enough, and he kept swimming deeper and deeper towards the middle of the lake.

 

He took no notice of the fish swimming past him, only reaching out for his wand any time something larger approached, but it was never what he was looking for.

 

There was no sign of the merpeople ahead, only a patch of seaweed as far as he could see, but as soon as he swam forward, trying to look further, something grabbed hold of his ankle.

 

Seaweed.  _ Grindylows. _

 

He’d forgotten that Grindylows commonly lived in patches of seaweed.

 

Keith twisted around and saw a Grindylow poking out of the weeds like a little demon, long fingers wrapped around his leg. He tightened his grip on his wand and cast a Revulsion Jinx at it to force it to let go of him.

 

He resolved not to swim too near to the seaweed patches, swimming a little higher so that the Grindylows couldn’t reach him again. He kept swimming, keeping an eye out for anything else that might attack him, and he didn’t know how much time had passed before he finally heard the haunting melody he recognized from the egg.

 

Hearing it gave him the drive to swim faster, following the song. His eyes widened when he finally caught a glimpse of the merpeople. Their skin was mostly grey and they had long wild dark green hair. Their yellow eyes glinted as they watched him swim past them, sharp teeth bared and spears held aloft.

 

His attention was caught though when he noticed four people bound to a statue. 

 

He almost panicked when he realized that his mother was tied between Lance and Matt, with Acxa right next to Matt, appearing to be deeply asleep. They were surrounded by merpeople– guards probably. He sped towards them, half-expecting the guards to try and stop him but they did nothing. The ropes of weed tying them were very strong, but luckily he’d brought his mother’s knife with him.

 

Carefully, he cut his mother free from the ropes and she floated peacefully.

 

The last line of the mer-song echoed in his head,  _ too late it’s gone it won’t come back _ and he found himself waiting for a few minutes for the other champions to appear to rescue their hostages.

 

When he drifted closer to Matt, the warning clear in his mind, half a dozen guards appeared and pulled him away, restraining him.

 

“You take your own hostage,” they warned him. “Leave the others.”

 

“No! I’m not leaving my friends here!” Keith protested.

 

“Your task is to retrieve your friend… leave the others,” they repeated.

 

“I don’t want them to die!” he said furiously.

 

Where were the other champions? Would they make it in time?

 

But then he saw Shiro approaching, with his own Bubblehead Charm clearly working, gaze wandering over the hostages and Keith calmed down slightly.

 

When Shiro started looking for something sharp enough to hack at the bindings, Keith offered him his knife. Shiro cut Matt free and gave his knife back gratefully, telling him that Lotor and Allura should be there soon.

 

Keith waited some more, reluctant to leave the hostages behind when there was no sign of the other champions. Soon enough, Allura emerged, silvery hair drifting behind her as she swam towards them. She cut Lance free with a muttered spell and looked at Keith in confusion when she noticed him still staying there. She jerked her head at him, asking when he was going to leave but he only shook his head. He had to make sure that Acxa got back safely too. 

 

Even if they hadn’t talked for months, she was still his friend.

 

He waited some more for Lotor, but it was becoming increasingly clear that he wasn’t coming. He swam towards Acxa, but the guards blocked him.

 

“Get out of my way,” he yelled, drawing his wand. They looked increasingly scared, understanding that he had no qualms fighting them to get to the hostages. They stepped away and he wasted no time cutting through the bindings until Acxa drifted freely too.

 

He grabbed his mother’s and Acxa’s hands and kicked off towards the surface but it was very slow. Their weight dragged him down but he absolutely refused to let them go. He wasn’t sure how much longer his charm would last, and it was only getting harder and harder to pull them up. 

 

But the darkness was lightening, he could almost see daylight…

 

His charm dissipated and he could feel the water closing in on him, and he struggled to breathe, he kept kicking up, only a little further…

 

When his head broke the surface, the cold air of the February morning had never felt so good.

 

He watched, panting, as his mother and Acxa opened their eyes, blind to anything else.

 

“Good job, Keith,” his mom said, and it said something about the pressure he was under that he felt like crying at those words.

 

He tugged them both out of the water, tired but wanting to get out of the lake as soon as he could. There was no way he’d ever swim in the lake for pleasure after this, no way.

 

Lotor approached them halfway, helping them pull Acxa up. He had a guilty look on his face, and the look of sincere gratitude when he thanked Keith for saving Acxa when he couldn’t would live in his memory for a long time.

 

It turned out that Lotor had been ambushed by the Grindylows, a whole pack of them, and had almost drowned trying to get to the hostages. The merpeople had had to intervene and so he’d waited anxiously for Acxa’s arrival.

 

The champions and hostages were given towels and hot drinks to warm them up after the lake, but really Keith’s face was warming up for reasons entirely unrelated. He’d been foolish enough to take the song seriously. There was no way they could have abided by the death of a hostage just because their champion hadn’t reached them in time, but the song had haunted him and now he was going to pay for it.

 

After a few more minutes, the judges were finally done discussing the situation with the merfolk, and announced their decision to award each champion points out of fifty.

 

Lotor was given twenty-five for failing to retrieve his hostage, and he accepted it graciously. Shiro received forty-seven for arriving just outside the time limit with his hostage intact. Allura received forty points for creative use of charms and returned with her hostage well outside the time limit.

 

Finally, when they reached his turn, he was surprised to hear that they approved of his actions in saving the hostages,  mostly, feeling that it showed strength and moral fiber. He was awarded forty-five points.

 

He was in the lead. Somehow, he was in the lead, even with his reckless actions. He hadn’t ruined everything after all by taking the song too seriously.

 

They announced that the third and final task would take place on the 24th of June, and that they would have exactly one month to prepare for it beforehand before the event formally ended.

 

It was over. The second task was over and there were months left before he had to worry about the third task.

 

*****

 

The months passed by quickly, with his classes still going on. He attended classes with the Hogwarts students, following their schedule according to what he would have studied at Durmstrang, and he got homework like the rest of them too. 

 

Thankfully, he’d gotten an exemption for the exams, unlike Shiro, Allura and Lotor who still had to face their N.E.W.T.s later in the year. They were a whole new level of stressed, trying to prepare for their exams with the Tournament still going on. Mostly, he spent time with his friends, trying not to think about it at all.

 

Keith almost hadn’t noticed that it was almost exactly a month before the final task until Iverson told him to head to the Quidditch pitch that night at nine to be briefed about it.

 

When he met Shiro on the way to the pitch at half past eight, they passed the time by suggesting some outlandish theories about what the final task would be like, getting more ridiculous with each one until they reached it. 

 

But then they saw what actually happened to the pitch.

 

It was no longer smooth and flat, now littered with long low walls all over. They were hedges, he realized.

 

Coran sounded quite cheerful about it, telling them that they would grow even taller in a month’s time. As a quidditch player, Keith felt absolutely horrified at was happening to the field, and he was clearly not the only one. Coran probably noticed their unhappy expressions, adding that it would be brought back to normal after the task was over.

 

They were growing a maze. The final task would be… a maze. There would be obstacles in their way, spells to break, creatures to face, and their task was to get to the centre of the maze to the Triwizard Cup.

 

For the first time, Keith relaxed. Curse-breaking and defence, he knew how to do. This was his specialty. At least as long as he didn’t have to fight another XXXXX class creature like the dragon.

 

But there was no shame in preparing some more.

 

He might actually be looking forward to this task.

 

For their preparation for the final task, he, Shiro and Allura had banded together and started teaching each other curses and charms that the others didn’t know. Surprisingly, his knowledge of curses far outstripped them both while Shiro was much better at Transfiguration and Allura at Charms.

 

Usually, they’d be practicing together well into the night till right before curfew, but this time, Allura couldn’t make it. There was a particular charm that Keith had been trying to master for weeks. 

 

The Patronus charm. 

 

So far, he’d made little progress, and the most he got was a weak formless silver mist, not the bright silver corporeal animal that was supposed to appear. 

 

Shiro had gladly demonstrated his own fully-corporeal patronus, a fearsome lion. He could almost hear it roar, but it was surprisingly docile when Keith reached out to touch it. It allowed the touch, leaning into it before looking into his eyes and disappearing. 

 

This time though, after a few unsuccessful attempts, Keith felt too frustrated to continue. He knew he was magically powerful, enough to cast a Patronus he was sure, but it just wouldn’t  _ work _ .

 

Shiro was, as always, a patient teacher, joining him where he’d collapsed on the floor in frustration with a steadying hand on his shoulder.

 

“Remember, patience yields focus. Your frustration won’t help you cast the spell. What memory are you using?” Shiro asked. “Sometimes the memory you’re using isn’t happy enough, so the results aren’t powerful enough either.”

 

It would be too personal a question to answer if it had been anyone else, but it was Shiro asking. There was no one he trusted more.

 

“The day I met my mom again,” Keith admitted. “I couldn’t think of anything better.”

 

Shiro looked at him, a question in his eyes. “Was it a happy memory?” he asked carefully.

 

Keith shrugged. “I think so. I mean, I finally met my mom again after so long thinking she’d left me behind because she didn’t care about me. Why wouldn’t it be happy?”

 

“Are you sure? Because I know you’re powerful enough to cast a Patronus, and if the memory is happy enough, it should be working,” Shiro prodded some more.

 

“I guess… maybe I was a little sad too. She still left me behind, even if it was because she cared.” It was hard not to feel a little bitter about it, even now. They’d only just met for a few months anyway, even if their relationship was slowly repairing.

 

“I see. I think your happiness for the memory is tainted by all the other emotions you feel. That’s why you can’t properly form a Patronus with the memory. Maybe once you’ve gotten past it, it would work better, but right now, it’ll never work. Try another memory, something simple and uncomplicated, but strong enough to protect you.”

 

Something simple and uncomplicated, but still strong? Most memories of his dad were still coloured by sadness and grief, and his feelings for his mother were too complicated most days. The only simple and uncomplicated feelings he had... were about Shiro.

 

Shiro, the one person who’d never given up on him, who’d given him a chance way before he could’ve ever earned it, who reached out to him when he’d had no one else.

 

A memory came to mind, of the first time he’d ever been completely certain of his place in life, of Shiro’s place in his life.

 

Early on in their friendship, Keith had screwed up majorly for the first time and lashed out at Shiro afterwards, and he’d been sure that Shiro would leave him after that. But Shiro had only come closer, telling him that he would never give up on Keith, and that he should also never give up on himself. It was the first time he’d heard someone say that they cared about him since his father died, and the first time he’d felt absolutely secure in Shiro’s friendship. 

 

The happiness he’d felt then… it was incomparable.

 

He closed his eyes and focused on the memory, the sheer happiness he’d felt at hearing Shiro say that he cared about Keith, and yelled, “Expecto Patronum!”

 

And this time, instead of a shapeless cloudless mist, a blinding light burst from his wand, a brilliant silver wolf exploding from the tip and prowling around the room.

 

He reached out to it, disbelieving, and he could almost feel the fur on its snout as it muzzled his hand.

 

Once he thought about it, he had to laugh a little. It really was a surprisingly fitting animal for him, to be fair, but mostly it just reminded him of Shiro.

 

There was no part of him that Shiro hadn’t touched.

 

The sound of clapping filled the room, and Keith looked up to see Shiro smiling at him with pride.

 

“I knew you could do it. It was always in you.”

 

*****

 

Since he was exempted from exams, he waved to his friends whose final exams would be taking place the day of the third task. He and Shiro were finishing up their breakfasts in the slowly emptying hall, Shiro’s face calmer than he’d seen it all week since he’d finally completed his N.E.W.T.s.

 

Iverson walked up to them as they were eating and said, “Kogane, Shirogane, the champions are congregating in the chamber off the Hall after breakfast.”

 

“I thought the task wasn’t until tonight,” Keith asked, raising an eyebrow.

 

“I’m aware, Kogane,” Iverson replied drily. “The champions’ families are invited to watch the final task. This is simply a chance for you to greet them.”

 

His family? Was his mother coming? His uncles? Which of them were going to be there?

 

All of them, as it turned out. 

 

He had entered the room with Shiro, and immediately spotted his mother and uncles standing in the corner. 

 

“Mom!” Keith called out. He hadn’t been expecting to see her, but it was a pleasant surprise.

 

She hugged him in greeting, and he tensed, before slowly relaxing into it.

 

He shouldn’t have, because the next thing she did after releasing him was greeting Shiro. “I’ve heard so much about you. Thank you for making my son the man he is today.”

 

To Keith’s surprise, Shiro blushed as he shook her hand, saying, “It’s an honour to meet you.”

 

Krolia met his eyes and smirked, clearly knowing everything he didn’t want her to know about Shiro and Keith’s feelings towards him. He could only hope that she wouldn’t try to scare Shiro off after she drew him into a conversation.

 

Keith greeted his uncles with a firm handshake, Thace, Ulaz and Kolivan being rather more reserved about displays of affection.

 

Soon, his mother released Shiro from their conversation and Shiro searched through the room, before his eyes landed on an elderly man waiting on a chair and they lit up.

 

“Grandfather, I’m so happy to see you,” Shiro greeted, before enveloping his grandfather into a hug. 

 

“It’s good to see you too, Takashi. I heard that you’re doing well so far. Tell me about what you’ve been leaving out of your letters.”

 

Shiro talked to his grandfather in Japanese, and Keith politely left them to their conversation. He could see Allura and Lotor speaking with their parents around the room, and nodded politely to them both when he caught their eye.

 

His musings were interrupted when he heard his name being called out.

 

“Is this the Keith I’ve been hearing so much about?” he heard.

 

“Grandfather,” Shiro replied, sounding flustered. “Yes, this is is Keith. Keith, this is my grandfather.”

 

Keith nodded politely to the elder man. He’d heard a lot about him from Shiro, the grandfather who’d raised him after his parents died and had nothing but the highest respect for the man.

 

Shiro’s grandfather looked at him consideringly. “Look after my grandson,” he said finally.

 

“I will,” Keith replied. No matter how confused he was about what was going on, that was one thing he could definitely promise.

 

He was surprised to receive a smile in return. 

 

Shiro’s grandfather joined him and his family as he and Shiro showed them around Hogwarts, giving them a tour of sorts and telling stories about what they’d done in certain places.

 

The hours flew by quickly like that, until it was finally time for the Third Task.

 

He and Shiro brought their families to the stands to take their seats before they headed down to the stadium.

 

“Ready?” Shiro asked.

 

“As I’ll ever be.”

 

They walked together onto the Quidditch pitch, now covered in twenty-foot hedges and completely unrecognisable. The only gap was right in front of them; the entrance to the maze.

 

The stands had begun to fill with people, until it was absolutely crowded.

 

Hogwarts professors would be patrolling around outside the maze, in case there were any difficulties.

 

They were informed that if they needed, they could send red sparks into the air, and they would be rescued, and their place disqualified.

 

Coran’s bright commentary filled the stadium like every other task. “Welcome to the third and final task of the Triwizard Tournament! Tied in first place are Keith Kogane of Hogwarts and Takashi Shirogane, also of Hogwarts at eighty-four points! In second place, Allura of Beauxbatons Academy stands at eighty points! Finally, in third place is Lotor of Durmstrang Institute!”

 

Keith and Shiro were to begin first at the same time, and they counted down,  _ three-two-one _ followed by the sound of a short whistle, before hurrying into the maze. 

 

It was a frightening sight at night, dark and creepy. Keith automatically brought his wand up and cast a Lumos charm and he could hear Shiro do the same right beside him.

 

After about fifty yards, they reached a fork. They looked at each other.

 

“See you on the flip side, old-timer,” Keith said playfully, taking the left one. 

 

“Not if I beat you there first,” Shiro replied with a smirk, going right.

 

Keith heard the whistle going off a second time, which meant Allura had entered the maze. He sped up. It was dark and confusing and the way he was going was completely deserted. He turned right and went straight ahead, holding his wand aloft. Still, there wasn’t anything.

 

The whistle went off a third time. Now Lotor was in the maze. It would be a race to the end.

 

The Point-Me spell he’d learnt helped him find his way through the maze. Sometimes he heard something like the other competitors running, but he never saw them. He faced a few creatures, mostly just blasting them unconscious as soon as he encountered them but otherwise there were few difficulties. 

 

Keith was sure he was on the right path when he turned the corner and suddenly saw Shiro. Of course, he called out to Shiro, and was shocked when Shiro looked back at him coldly. He’d never seen such a look on Shiro’s face before, especially not directed at him.

 

“Just give up, Keith!” Shiro said. “You don’t have to do this anymore. We both know you don’t have what it takes to win. Why else would your parents abandon you,” Shiro sneered. “They knew you were weak. You’ll always be alone,” he said, in a final kind of way, before walking away from Keith. 

 

“Shiro, wait! Shiro! Please… no,” Keith cried out.

 

But then another Shiro appeared and facing the first Shiro, who turned into…  _ him _ , his own image, taunting Shiro with empty words and threats, of leaving him to die alone and unloved, dreams unfulfilled, forcing him down, physically and emotionally. 

 

It was a boggart. Of course.

 

He shook off the terrible feelings the boggart had brought up in him, only having one focus now that Shiro was in trouble.

 

The standard repelling charm for boggarts was ‘riddikulus’ but Keith thought of the happiest memory he had, of Shiro promising to never give up on him and yelled “Expecto Patronum!”

 

His bright silver wolf appeared and ran towards the boggart, which faded away. It stayed a little longer, nuzzling Shiro until he was able to stand again.

 

They shared a look, and finally, they both seemed to realize that there were things left unsaid between both of them and reached a silent agreement to talk about things after the task was over.

 

After another fork in the road, they went their separate ways again.

 

The road ahead led him straight into the enchanted mist.

 

The world turned upside down and everything flipped over. He was hanging from the ground, hair on end, and it was utterly disorienting. 

 

He thought hard about it, but reached the conclusion that it wasn’t a curse he was meant to break, rather an enchantment on his mind. He forced his foot away from the ground turned ceiling and everything turned right side up again.

 

The Point-Me spell directed him into several dead-ends and he ended up having to retrace his steps more times than he could count, facing even more creatures and curses. He had some fun with the curses, breaking them apart without mercy, and left the creatures unconscious when he could.

 

Finally, he seemed to be on the right path, and using the Point-Me spell a few more times, he was going directly north-west. He could almost see the light ahead. He dashed down the path and he could see the Triwizard Cup ahead, gleaming in the moonlight.

 

He saw Shiro running past him, knew that he’d never beaten Shiro in a fair race, was almost content to give up the prize to a worthy competitor when he saw a dark shape moving fast up ahead, right where Shiro was.

 

“Shiro, on your left!” Keith yelled.

 

Shiro looked around just in time to hurl himself past the thing and avoid the imminent collision, but in his haste, he lost his grip on his wand after he tripped. A gigantic spider– an Acromantula– stepped into the path, right on top of Shiro.

 

“Stupefy!” Keith tried, but it just bounced off the creature’s hide. All it managed to do was distract it from Shiro by turning Keith into its target.

 

He sent more stunning spells, swearing when he remembered that Acromantulas were XXXXX classified creatures and cursed even more when he remembered his earlier confidence, ‘as long as he didn’t have to face another XXXXX class creature, he’d be fine’. He was definitely eating his own words now.

 

He upgraded to blasting and reductor curses, putting more power into his stunning curses too, trying to aim for a weak part of its hide, even as it kept getting closer to him. The spider’s eight eyes were all focused on him and he could almost imagine what a tempting meal he was. Its razor sharp pincers descended on him, leaving a scar across his chin as it came closer and closer when he heard a shout of “Reducto!” just as he shouted the same thing, aiming at the spider’s weaker underbelly.

 

It worked. The spider died, and Keith would have felt much better about it if it hadn’t been about to collapse on him before he could cast a shield charm. 

 

Slowly, he emerged from under the spider, only to be greeted by Shiro’s worried face.

 

“Are you alright?“ Shiro asked, holding onto his bleeding stomach.

 

“I’ve been better,” Keith answered, fingers pressing against the wound on his shoulder.

 

“You saved me,” Shiro said, sounding awed.

 

“We saved each other,” Keith replied.

 

The Triwizard Cup was right in front of them, but neither of them would take another step on their own. They looked at each other.

 

Carefully supporting Shiro as Shiro supported him, Keith said the first thing that came to mind. “A double victory?”

 

“What?” 

 

“Both of us take the cup, it’s a Hogwarts victory and we can finally get out of here.”

 

Shiro huffed, before conceding with a laugh. “That sounds great.”

 

They walked together, step by painstaking step and reached out to the Cup at the same time.

 

“Here’s to victory,” Keith said.

 

“Here’s to us,” Shiro corrected with a smile, and with a pull, tugging them away in a howl of wind and swirling color, they both disappeared.

 

When they arrived at the entrance of the maze, brought by the Cup-turned-portkey, both of them collapsed, barely registering the crowd going wild at their appearance.

 

Keith could barely pay attention to Coran’s excited commentary, on an impossible  _ double _ victory for Hogwarts.

 

Satisfied by the circumstances of their victory, Keith finally felt it was safe enough for him to let go.

 

*****

 

A week later, all wounds healed and bodies recovered, they both received their prize of one thousand galleons, to be divided evenly between them.

 

Lotor had also confessed to him privately, that he had been the one to put Keith’s name into the Goblet, Confounding it just enough that it would accept his entry, even though he hadn’t thought it would actually work. He’d theorized that the magic of the Goblet had interfered somehow, leading to the result they’d gotten. He’d also apologized for it, and Keith had accepted it, even if he’d always be wary of Lotor from now on.

 

The prize giving ceremony had taken place right before the End of Year feast,  and as he settled in to eat his last meal at Hogwarts, he thought of all the impossible things that had come true this year, and one more that could come true soon.

 

He turned to his side, waiting, until Shiro looked back and gave him a smile. He jerked his head to the side, asking silently if they could talk now and Shiro excused himself from the rest of their friends.

 

They walked together, and somehow, it felt completely natural to slip his hand into Shiro’s. Shiro glanced at him, surprised, before squeezing his hand and going along with it. 

 

“So it’s your last day at Hogwarts,” Keith started casually, “anything you’ll miss when you’re gone?”

 

“Yeah, there are so many memories here,” Shiro replied, eyes roaming over the castle in nostalgia. “The friends I’ve made, the things I’ve done… I don’t want to leave that behind.” With a wistful sigh, he added, “I want to make my mark.”

 

Keith nudged at Shiro’s shoulder. “You’ve already left your mark here, Mr Triwizard Champion.”

 

“Excuse me, I couldn’t hear that over the sound of you also winning the Triwizard Tournament,” Shiro teased. 

 

They’d been walking aimlessly, so when he realized they’d reached the corridor where a younger Shiro had comforted Keith for the first time, Keith stopped right there.

 

Shiro came to a stop too, a soft look on his face when Keith pointed it out.

 

“You changed my life that day, you know,” Keith said. “If it weren’t for you, my life would’ve been a lot different. For the first time, I had someone who cared about me, cared about whether I succeeded or failed, cared to help me when I was hurt. I don’t know what kind of mark you wanted to leave behind, but you’ve left your mark on me.”

 

Feeling like he’d said too much, exposed too much of himself, Keith stopped, looking down.

 

A hand under his chin, tilting his face up, and he saw how Shiro’s eyes, usually so earnest, softened. “You changed my life too. I don’t know who I would’ve been without you, but I wouldn’t change a thing.”

 

Hopelessly touched by Shiro’s words, Keith gathered up his Gryffindor courage to tell Shiro what he’d been wanting to tell him for the entire year. 

 

“I love you, Shiro.”

 

Shiro’s eyes widened, before they lit up as he realized what Keith had said, full of love and joy,

 

“I love you too,” Shiro replied, his silver hand coming up to brush against Keith’s face, meeting the scar he’d gained from the Acromantula for protecting Shiro.

 

Shiro leaned down, bringing Keith’s face closer to his and finally they met in a perfect kiss.

 

It was everything and nothing like Keith had expected, and when it ended, he pulled Shiro even closer for another kiss.

 

It was happiness and freedom and love, and honestly, just a little bit magic.

  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> come yell at me about sheith or harry potter on [twitter](<a%20href=) or [tumblr](http://lucifercaelestis.tumblr.com) ;)


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